April 23, 2024

Two weeks ago, NYTHA sent out a survey to the owners and trainers who race at the NYRA racetracks, asking their opinion on the Belmont Park redevelopment – specifically, the composition of the Belmont Park main track. Here is the email that accompanied the survey, with the results of the survey below it. We thank the 607 NYTHA members who took the time to respond!

Dear NYTHA Members,

As you are well aware, Belmont Park is in the midst of a major redevelopment, and we are very excited about the future of our beautiful home track. The next couple of years will be a challenge, and we look forward to working with NYRA to make sure that the new Belmont Park is the very best it can be.

To that end, we have been in discussion with NYRA as to the best plan for the Belmont main track. Currently, the track has been taken up, and there is an opportunity to replace the base in its entirety. A brand new base will enhance safety for the horses and the riders. But the question has come up – should Belmont have a clay base, or should it be limestone?

Historically, Belmont has had a clay base, and we have had feedback that would advocate for keeping the clay base for the future. But there are also arguments in favor of making the change to limestone. Having a limestone base would create consistency between the NYRA tracks. The training track at Belmont has a limestone base; at Saratoga, the main track and Oklahoma have limestone bases with thin clay pads. According to experts such as Dr. Mick Peterson, consistency between racetracks is a key factor in mitigating the risk of injury to the horses.

Maintaining a clay base would also have an impact on winter racing, as a clay base cannot be treated to winterize it. Winter racing at Belmont Park will be conducted solely on the synthetic track if the base of the main track is clay. The return to dirt racing will be delayed even further, as the main track will have to be open for 30 days for training before we can start racing on it again in the spring.

There are other factors, such as the shadow from the grandstand that will still fall on the main track even after the new facility is built, that could reduce the ability to race on the main track in the winter. But a limestone base provides more flexibility and expands the ability to offer dirt racing for the majority of the racing calendar.

We want to know what our members think. Please take a moment to respond to the brief three-question survey and submit your feedback on the base of the Belmont main track.

If you have additional comments, please send them to our Executive Director, Andy Belfiore, at abelfiore@nytha.com.

Thank you,

NYTHA President Tina Marie Bond

SURVEY RESULTS